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Family Friendly Food

Some of our favorite places to eat out with our kids.

Restaurants and kids can sometimes be a recipe for stress. But, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here’s some of our favorite picks for places to eat out with our kids.

Campbell:

(200 East Campbell Ave)

Bethany: I love this place because it’s cafe style (where you order and pay first). Wait staff is nice, but when you have kids, sometimes it’s easier to be able to get your food and go in your own time instead of having to wait for the check. They also have a great kids’ menu and even some of the regular menu items are pretty kid friendly. The food is yummy and not too expensive. I also love the new Buyfi option so that I can order from my phone when the line is too long.

Nicole: We love the Coop! The food is tasty, it’s very kid friendly, and it’s quick! One of the things we’ve found since having children is how much easier it is to go to a place where you order and pay up front so you don’t have the hassle of the check at the end of the meal, very handy! We also go to the Coop in San Pedro before Sharks games. They have a lot of outdoor seating which is nice for my little ones because they like to be outside and look around.

Rachael: We’ve only ever eaten at the Coop once, but Sabine loved their mac ‘n’ cheese (a big plus, because she’s suddenly become an extremely picky eater)!  We also liked the outside seating and the friendly staff. The only drawback I have to the Coop is the “pick it up yourself” set up. Only because when you have a baby and you’re by yourself it puts you in a bit of a quandary... how to balance car seat/baby and food at the same time.  If you do go with a baby, I recommend bringing a friend so you have someone to either pick up the food or watch the baby. Besides, everyone knows eating with friends is more fun.

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(923 West Hamilton Ave)

Bethany: Based on some of their other reviews, you may think that they’re just a bar. They are actually a great family restaurant that just happens to have a bar as well. Every time we have been, there are other families with kids too. We enjoy trivia night on Wednesdays, and it has become a family tradition to go with the Grandparents, Auntie, and cousins. They have yummy food, a kids menu, reasonable prices, and the staff is really friendly too (we especially love Trish!).

Nicole: I just have to start out by saying that Mimi is the greatest server ever! She was so wonderful with my kids! Evie was having a rough night and Mimi spent so much time with her, brought her coloring books and crayons, M&M’s, and a smile to her face. The food is KILLER, especially their cheese steaks, and its also really reasonably priced.

(139 E Campbell Ave)

Bethany: We’ve only been here for breakfast, but we love it. They have a good kids menu and lots of seating both inside and out. The staff is all great with kids too. (We especially love Kaila.)

Nicole: We actually have never been to the Stacks here in Campbell but we’ve been to the one in Burlingame, so if you’re ever up north that place is very kid friendly as well! The food is amazing (the Stacks Breakfast Sandwich and the Fruit Crepes are family favorites of ours!) and the staff is super helpful when you have children. The food comes quickly as well and you can pay up front which is helpful when you have to run out in a hurry!

Rachael: We LOVE Stacks’. Not only have I frequented Stacks’ in Campbell, but the one in San Francisco is just as awesome. I wish there was a Stacks’ in every city! Their kids menu is awesome, they hand out crayons and activity sheets (at least in the S.F. location), the food is amazing and the service is awesome.  The only complaint I have about Stacks’ is that the food is so good there’s almost always a line, so go early!

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(501 E Hamilton Ave)

Bethany: My daughter (the super picky eater) loves their mac 'n’ cheese, broccoli cheese soup, and muffins. I love the menu options for myself and the price is pretty reasonable for the quality of the food. They have lots of seating options, but can be kinda crowded at times. Sometimes if they are too crowded, we get our food to-go and take it over to for a little
picnic.

Nicole: Panera is an awesome option and they are all over the Bay Area! We not only go to the one in Campbell, but the one at North 1st Street in San Jose (we meet daddy for lunch there a lot!) and we go to the one on Coleman in the Target shopping center (we go here before Sharks games! It’s super quick and sometimes we even pick up to go and bring it into the tank with us!). Evie LOVES the mac 'n' cheese and they also have a great fruit cup which Evie loves. My husband and I really like the food too, it’s really tasty for a great price!

(1815 S. Bascom Ave.)

Bethany: Not too many options, but my daughter likes the rice and beans and I love the burritos or tacos. Service is quick and friendly and the food is well priced. It’s a nice alternative to other fast food places. If only they had a drive-thru...

Nicole: Chipotle is one of our favorite places to go with the kids. Mexican food is Evie’s favorite and their cheese quesadilla kids meal comes with rice, beans, chips and apple juice for around $3. I love their burrito bowls and my husband loves the burritos. The food is fresh, tasty and very well priced. It also has the same draw of order and pay at once so you don’t have to wait for a check.

(1875 South Bascom Ave - Prunyard Shopping Center)

Bethany: Pizza is a no-brainer for most kids, and I love the by-the-slice servings so that we can each get something different.

(533 E Campbell Ave)

Rachael:  As East Coast transplants, Sal’s is about as close to “real” pizza as we’ve had in the South Bay. In fact, we love Sal’s so much we order it every Saturday night (literally)! While we’ve never sat down in the restaurant, the pizza is amazing and the owner/staff are wonderful.  They also serve by-the-slice, so you can switch it up among the family.

(1875 S. Bascom Ave, Suite 190 - Prunyard Shopping Center)

Bethany: Great kids menu with lots of options. They even bring out a fresh fruit plate for the kids. Nice! Good food for me and friendly staff too.

Rachael:Hobee’s is our go-to spot for family friendly food. The staff is always friendly, the kids menu is great, and it comes with crayons for the kids. And that’s in addition to the fruit smiley face plate (with whipped cream!). Sabine also loves their pancakes. It’s one of the only places where she’ll eat almost an entire order! The food is very healthy, but not so healthy it doesn’t taste good. The only reservation I have with Hobee’s is that they don’t serve bacon or fries; but that’s the down side of healthy eating, I suppose.

Los Gatos:

Lou’s Coffee Shop (15691 Los Gatos Blvd)

Bethany: Another one of our favorite breakfast spots. They are pretty small, so sometimes there can be a wait. (But, we have never had to wait longer than 15 minutes so it’s not that bad.) They have a “no frills” kind of look and feel, but their food is awesome! It seems to be a favorite of the Los Gatos PD as well. They can often be seen here having breakfast. We are a breakfast lovin’ family, so we have been here a lot. Every time it has been consistently great. The manager, servers, and even the bussers are so friendly and really good with our kids.

San Jose:

Willow Street (At the Westgate Shopping Center)

Nicole: This is one of our favorite places to take the kids. The staff seems like they are trained to work with kids! Whenever we go, almost every table has at least one child. They have a pretty broad menu and the food is great and well priced. They have a great kids menu too and kids eat free on Tuesdays! The other draw for us is this is a big hockey restaurant. We’re a hockey family and try to come here on away games (they offer half priced appetizers on game nights) and even on nights when the Sharks aren’t playing they play other hockey games (and whenever we come Evie gets SO excited!).

Rubio’s (El Paseo de Saratoga)

Nicole: This goes along the same lines of Chipotle. As mentioned before, Evie adores Mexican food. They have a great kids menu here. The tacos here are delicious (my husband loves the fish tacos and I love the chicken street tacos). Every time we’ve come they’ve given balloons out to all the kids in the restaurant which I think is really nice and it’s also a quick pay when you order place.

Fireside Cafe (3245 Stevens Creek Blvd)

Nicole: This restaurant is kind of hard to find, but it’s worth a look! It’s a Mediterranean restaurant but there is a wide menu that includes different kinds of sandwiches and salads and a kids menu. The restaurant is pretty small but we went at lunchtime on a weekend and it wasn’t too busy. The food was delicious and the staff was SO great with our kids. We walked in and it felt like a very family oriented place.

Pasta Pomodoro (2083 Camden Ave)

Bethany: The kids menu (which is also a coloring page) has some options for them to choose from, main menu has yummy food and pretty good prices too. The staff that we have encountered have been great. They can be crowded at times, but not too bad.

California Pizza Kitchen (925 Blossom Hill Rd)

Rachael: I love the CPK! Their Barbeque Chicken Pizza is my all-time favorite. And, they’re very kid friendly to boot; not only do they give you crayons for the kids menu, but it’s not just a hodge-podge of pre-used crayons in a cup, you get an individual box! I still keep ours in my “go-to activity bag” in my purse.  The food is great, it’s a very family-friendly establishment, and you get some take-away fun for your kids as well.

Greater Bay Area:

Whispers Cafe (390 El Camino Real, Suite V, Belmont, CA)

Nicole: This is one of our favorite restaurants. It has an incredibly broad menu that would suit any taste, an excellent kids menu, as well as a full bar. The place is super kid friendly and you pay when you order making it a quick getaway if you need it to be!

Rick’s Cafe (205 State Street, Los Altos)

Nicole: This is a great family friendly restaurant that has an excellent kids menu, a patio out back, and great food. If you’re looking for a good diner type restaurant and you’re with this kids, this place is for you!

Skipolini’s Pizza (1535 Giammona Drive, Walnut Creek)

Nicole: Well first of all this place is home of the Prego Pizza! We tried it with our first child...it didn’t work, haha, but I’ve heard from a friend of a friend of a friend that it worked, so you never know! But aside from that, the pizza is great, they have a kids menu and they also have a huge outdoor patio with a play area, so while mommy and daddy can sit and enjoy some pizza and a beverage, kiddies can play in the play area! If you find yourself in the East Bay, it’s worth a trip!

Well, there’s our list of favorite places to eat out with our kids. We’d love to hear yours too!

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